The Wishing Well
by AliasCWN
Summary: The team stops at a well for water and Hitch finds himself making a wish.
1. Chapter 1

**The Wishing Well **

By: AliasCWN

Chapter 1

The jeeps stopped before they reached the house. Both drivers remained in the vehicles, ready to run if there was any danger. The two sergeants grabbed weapons and advanced on the abandoned building, picking their way carefully to avoid drawing attention to themselves.

Tumbleweeds were bunched up in a pile next to the door, deposited there by the night winds. The windows were dark in the bright sun hiding anything inside the crumbled walls. Stone fences surrounded the house, tumbled remnants of someone's attempt to protect the home. Shutters hung precariously from bullet pocked window frames, no use to anyone in their present state. The door still hung on its hinges, slightly ajar, but serviceable if one dared to enter the house. It would take a brave or desperate soul to pass through the door with the sagging roof threatening to fall in at any moment. All in all the house was a pitiful sight, a stark reminder that life was fragile on the desert.

The sergeants weren't interested in the house; their interest lay beyond the house in the form of a hand dug well. They knew from past visits that the well still contained water, a precious commodity in the endless desert sands. During their last visit the water had been cold and clear; they hoped that it had remained that way. Sometimes the Germans would poison a well to prevent the Allies from using it, making it unfit for man or beast. It didn't seem to bother them that the well was useless to them too. So far this well hadn't been touched by the more unscrupulous German officers as this well was located in an area patrolled by their old enemy Captain Dietrich.

The well was their target, or rather, the water in the well was what they sought. But first they had to be sure that no one had taken up residence in the house. It looked deserted, a sense of emptiness hung over the whole area like a blanket. Every stone they kicked seemed unusually loud as they made their way to the rear of the building.

Moffitt rushed forward, throwing himself against the rear wall, listening for any telltale sounds from inside. There was a faint rustling from inside followed by silence. He put his finger to his lips and motioned for Troy to be quiet.

Troy nodded and scanned the windows looking for any sign of movement from inside. The dark interior of the house made the windows look like empty eyes staring back at him. After a few minutes he moved closer to the house. Moffitt still stood with his back against the wall of the house listening for more sounds. Troy leaped over the crumbling stone fence and plastered himself against the wall at the other corner of the building. He put his ear against the wall and held his breath so that the air passing in and out wouldn't cover any small sounds from within the building. He took another breath and held it, waiting, tuned to even the smallest sounds around him. It wasn't loud but he could have sworn he heard his driver pop a bubble from where he was waiting in the jeep. He looked that way but both drivers were watching the surrounding desert with no sign of alarm.

Moffitt signaled that he was going to take a peek through the window. Troy shook his head, urging him to wait a few more minutes. As the British sergeant resumed his former position Troy heard the sound that had alarmed the other sergeant.

It was faint, like someone shuffling their feet in dry brush. He knew Moffitt had heard it too when the other sergeant stiffened and froze. Neither man moved as they waited for the sound to repeat itself. They hoped that with luck whoever was inside would move enough to reveal their position. The minutes ticked slowly by as the sweat dripped into their eyes but they didn't dare move. They couldn't wipe it away for fear of the movement revealing their own location. So they stood still and waited, not knowing who, or what, to expect.

Then Moffitt relaxed and smiled at Troy. He stepped away from the wall and lowered his guard. At Troy's unspoken question he nodded toward the house, "Mice, or at least vermin. I heard them squeaking. They wouldn't be squeaking if there was anyone in the house with them, they'd be in hiding. I think it's safe to go in."

Troy left the tension drain from his cramped muscles as he turned to the other sergeant. "There could still be someone out front." He whispered softly.

Moffitt nodded and raised his weapon again. "Shall we go see?"

"The sooner the better." Troy replied. "I could use a drink of that cold water."

With a nod the two men separated and went around to the front of the house from opposite sides. When they reached the front of the house they discovered that it was clear of any sign of recent human visitation. Just to be sure Troy had Moffitt watch the back while he checked the inside of the house. The mice scurried for cover as he stepped into the dim interior. There were only two rooms to check and he soon reemerged to give the all clear.

Moffitt smiled as Troy exited the building. "It looks clear out here too. There's not much cover between here and the well and not much beyond the well until you reach that hill over there." He indicated a hill that overlooked the house in the distance. "I don't think anyone is going to sneak up on us here. There is no place for them to hide."

Troy nodded after glancing at the well. It was quite a distance from the house but still in the open. Twisting around he gave a shrill whistle that brought the privates with the jeeps. When the two vehicles wheeled into the open area by the house Troy waved them over behind the stone wall. He wanted them hidden in case anyone showed up before they had finished refilling their water cans and canteens.

"Are we going to be here long?"

Troy turned back to Moffitt and shook his head. "I want to be behind our lines before we stop for the night. If we keep moving we should make it by dark."

"I'll get the maps and check our route." The Brit offered.

Troy nodded. "Hitch, Tully, fill the water cans and canteens. Take care of the jeeps first." Both privates nodded and climbed stiffly from the vehicles. They lifted the hoods of the jeeps to let the engines cool while they filled the gas tanks. Using the last of their water they filled the radiators and checked both jeeps for damage. With the maintenance done they unloaded all of the water containers. They talked as they crossed the open space with their hands full of cans and canteens.

Hitch dropped the bucket into the well while Tully began to remove the caps on the canteens. Pulling it up hand over hand he put the bucket on the edge of the well and steadied it while Tully held the canteens under the water to fill.

"This well reminds me of a well I saw with my cousins once." Hitch commented.

"It looks like half the wells in North Africa." Tully grunted.

"No, this one looks like the one I saw when I was sent to spend a week with my uncle and cousins. It was a wishing well."

"A wishing well?"

"Yeah, the story was that if you dropped money into the well and made a wish your wish would be granted."

Tully looked confused for a minute. 'You mean people actually threw money into a well?"

"Sure." Hitch smiled. "If they believed the legend, that is."

Tully shook his head. "If that don't beat all. A waste of good money I'd say. I've heard that some people throw their money away but that's just plain silly. Throwing money into a well won't make your wishes come true."

"Oh I wouldn't say that." Hitch laughed. "It worked for me."

"It did? How?"

"My uncle was making us all go to a neighbor's for a fancy dinner. I didn't want to go. I tried to get out of it but he wouldn't hear of it."

"How did throwing money in the well grant that wish?"

"My uncle was so mad that I threw my entire allowance into the well that he grounded me for the rest of my visit. I had to stay home while he went to the dinner."

Tully laughed. "Okay. We'd better get these cans filled. I think I'll just keep my money."

"Your loss." Hitch chuckled.

"Two to go." Tully announced a little while later as he capped the canteen he had just filled.

Hitch nodded and dropped the bucket back into the well. They heard it hit the water with a loud thunk before it sank under the surface.

"If you want to fill the last two I'll take these back to the jeep and take one to Sarge and Doc." He lifted the full canteens as he waited for Hitch to agree.

"No problem." The blond nodded. "They can probably use a cool drink too."

Tully nodded and turned to head back to the jeeps. He deposited all of the canteens but one into the rear of the jeeps. Taking the last one he headed for the house where the sergeants were still going over the maps.

Troy and Moffitt had spread the maps over the top of the stone wall and were discussing the safest route back to the base. They looked up at Tully's approach and smiled when they saw the canteen in his hand.

"Thought you could use a cold drink." Tully offered as he approached.

"You thought right." Troy grinned. "Thanks." He smiled as he reached for the canteen. "I've been looking forward to something cold."


	2. Chapter 2

**The Wishing Well **

By: AliasCWN

Chapter 2

Hitch pulled on the rope attached to the bucket in the well as Tully walked away with the full canteens. Feeling the heavy weight of the water he began to pull it up. Thinking of the wishing well back home he released the rope and reached into his pocket. Looking over at the others he took a single coin from his pocket and dropped it into the well. Closing his eyes he made a quick wish before going back to work.

The two empty canteens lay at his feet as he pulled the bucket to the top of the well. As the bucket neared the top he leaned into the well and grabbed it by the rope handle. He balanced it on the top edge of the stone wall surrounding the well. He twisted and picked up the first canteen. Removing the cap he reached for the bucket. His fingers brushed the side of the old bucket, dislodging it from its perch. It started to tumble back into the dark chasm that was the well. He lunged to grab it before it could fall back into the water.

That quick movement saved his life. As he lunged for the bucket a bullet whizzed past his head. He dropped the canteen and dove for the shelter offered by the well wall.

Troy nearly dropped the canteen he held as the sound of the shot broke the silence of the day. Troy, Moffitt, and Tully dove for the shelter of the stone wall surrounding the house.

"Did you see where that came from?" Troy called to the others as he searched for the shooter.

"No." Moffitt answered as Tully shook his head.

"Hitch! Are you okay?"

"I'm okay Sarge." Hitch called back while hugging the wall of the well.

"Are you armed?"

"No." Hitch answered sheepishly. "I was going right back to the jeep."

"Okay stay down." Troy sighed. "We'll figure out where he is and find a way to get you out of there."

The shooter fired again and Troy ducked as the bullet clipped the stone next to his face.

"That was close." Tully drawled as he watched Troy wipe the blood from his face. A small chip of stone had sliced across his cheek leaving a narrow cut that oozed blood.

"Did you see where it came from?" Troy asked again.

Moffitt shook his head.

"Nowhere close." Tully finally replied. "I heard the shot before the bullet hit the stone. Whoever he is, he's shooting from a distance."

"Our guns don't have that great of a range." Troy said in a worried tone. "We can't cover Hitch if we're too far away to hit the shooter."

"We can't protect ourselves either." Moffitt noted dryly. "He'll just sit up there and take shots at us until he hits one of us."

"You think he's going to be happy only hitting one of us?" Tully scoffed.

"I think you know what I meant." Moffitt replied calmly.

"You're saying we're sitting ducks out here." Troy translated.

"We're not exactly sitting ducks but you're not far off." Moffitt answered. "We're only safe as long as we stay behind these rocks. If you can call us safe even here."

"That's if the ricochets don't get us." Tully warned.

"Not only that." Troy growled. "Those shots could draw in more Germans or Arabs. It's only a matter of time until someone else shows up and they aren't likely to be friendly to us."

"How do we know that guy's alone?" Tully wondered. "Maybe he's just keeping us pinned down and watching him while his buddies sneak up closer."

Troy glanced at Tully before throwing Moffitt a worried frown. "Tully, go in the house and keep an eye out the back window."

"Okay Sarge, but what am I going to do, throw rocks at them?"

Troy looked over and noticed that Tully wasn't carrying a weapon. "Just shout a warning and we'll come back and help."

Tully nodded and ducked low to run for the house. As he ducked through the door a bullet embedded itself in the doorframe next to his head.

Troy and Moffitt moved further apart to make it harder for the shooter to get more than one of them. One bullet hitting the stone could ricochet and cause chips of stone to hit them both. Finding the most secure spots available they hunkered down to come up with a plan.

"All of that open space that seemed so safe before doesn't look so safe now." Moffitt remarked as he scanned the clearing in front of them. "They can't get to us but we can't get to the jeeps either."

"And we can't get to Hitch." Troy growled. As he said it they heard another shot. Hitch yelped as the bullet hit the wall of the well.

"Hitch?"

"I'm okay." Hitch called. "But that one was close."

"Just keep your head down." Troy ordered.

"I am." Hitch replied. "But there isn't much room to hide out here."

"Use what you've got." Troy answered. "That guy is a pretty fair shot."

"Tell me about it." Hitch answered. "He's not even close and he almost got me that time."

"Did you see him?"

"I saw a flash from the top of that hill. That's got to be five hundred yards at least."

"The top of the hill?" Troy looked at the only hill in front of the house. A shooter on top of the hill could move around to get different angles without exposing himself to return fire. Troy glanced at the well and tried to decide if the shooter could get a better angle to shoot at his driver.

The next shot answered that question. Hitch jumped and scrambled around the base of the well wall. As Troy watched the private put his hand on his shoulder and it came away red.

"Hitch!"

"A stone chip Sarge, nothing serious."

"Can you make it here, or to the jeeps?"

Hitch looked at the open space between him and the two locations and frowned. "I don't know Sarge, maybe if you keep him busy."

"We can't reach him with our weapons and he knows it." Moffitt warned. "He may just ignore us and concentrate on Hitch."

"Not if I run for the jeep at the same time." Troy answered. "He'd have to decide which one of us he wanted to stop."

"But he would have a very good chance of getting at least one of you." Moffitt argued.

"Do you have a better idea? We can't let Hitch out there, sooner or later he's going to get lucky and hit him."

"Wait until dark." The Brit suggested.

"What if someone else shows up before then?"

"Then we can make a run for it. Getting ourselves killed isn't a very good plan."

"I could go after him."

Tully's voice came out of the dim interior of the house. He had moved back to the front of the house without either of the sergeants hearing his approach.

"I thought I told you to watch the back." Troy hissed.

"I was." Tully answered. "I just thought I'd let you know that it looked clear."

"You could have just yelled."

Tully dropped his head. "I heard Hitch yell."

"He's okay." Troy replied. "You can't go after Hitch but maybe we can distract that shooter long enough for Hitch to get to better cover."

"I didn't mean go after Hitch. I meant I could go after the shooter. I can go out the back Sarge." Tully explained. "I think I can work my way around to the back of that hill."

"It's risky Tully." Troy shook his head. "If he spots you he can pick you off before you can get close enough to shoot back."

"I'll stay low Sarge. I can be sneaky when I want to be."

Troy hesitated.

"If you hear shooting you can make a break for one of the jeeps. Then you'll have the jeeps and the 50's to use against him."

"It might work Troy." Moffitt added his support for the plan.

Troy looked like he was going to say no until another shot hit the wall of the well.

"How often can he shoot at Hitch before he scores a hit?" Moffitt wondered aloud.

"How long before he realizes that the jeeps are our only way out of here?" Tully asked.

"Tully's right Troy, if he hits the jeeps we'll be stranded here even if we do somehow managed to take him out."

"The jeeps are protected by that wall."

"Unless he moves." Moffitt replied. "We have to assume that he has some means of transportation."

Troy looked over at Moffitt and sighed. "Be careful Tully." He said as he gave in. "If we hear any shots that aren't aimed at us we'll make a run for the jeeps."

"You got it Sarge." Tully spit out his chewed up matchstick and pulled a new one from his pocket. "He's not that far away; if things go bad I'll yell. You should be able to hear me."

Moffitt handed Tully his weapon and smiled. "Don't take any unnecessary chances."

Tully nodded and ducked back into the dim interior of the house.


	3. Chapter 3

**The Wishing Well **

By: AliasCWN

Chapter 3

Troy watched Tully go with a worried look. They were down to one machine gun if the shooter decided to come after them; not that Troy really expected him to do anything so foolish. From his present position he could shoot at them all day without much concern for his own safety. Their single machine gun couldn't reach a target at that distance with any degree of accuracy.

Another shot hit the well wall and Hitch tried to make himself as small as possible.

"Hitch, if I tell you to run I want you to run as hard as you can for the jeeps."

Hitch looked over in surprise. "You're closer Sarge."

"If I yell we'll be heading for the jeeps too." The sergeant explained. "We may have to make a run for it if anyone else shows up." He didn't mention Tully just in case the shooter had friends close by who might understand English.

"Okay Sarge." The blond nodded.

"Are you okay over there?"

"So far so good Sarge."

"Stay down and keep your eyes open in case he moves for a different angle."

"Okay Sarge, but I doubt if I'll see him in time if that happens."

"Watch anyway."

"Right Sarge."

Tully slipped out the back window and crawled on his belly to a deep depression in the sand. Keeping low on his stomach he slithered the length of the depression until he found another one. He followed that one until he came to another one. He continued like that, taking advantage of every bit of cover that took him closer to his target. He had a pretty good idea where the shooter was located but he needed to get behind him before he could move any closer. It was hot, dirty work to reach his target. He had to stop several times to get his bearings. He took advantage of every little bit of cover that presented itself. Every shot he heard made him want to rush but he kept moving slowly. Rushing could very well end in disaster so he pushed the urge aside and forced his fears back. Biting down on his matchstick he continued his slow, careful crawl.

After forty-five minutes he checked his bearings again. If his calculations were correct he was behind the shooter and slightly off to one side. It wasn't safe to get up and run but he did increase his pace a bit. After a few more minutes he heard another shot and instinctively dove for cover. No bullets hit near him so he was fairly certain that he hadn't been the target. He raised his head just in time to see the shooter change his position. As he watched the sniper lifted his rifle and took another shot.

There was a faint yell as the sound of the shot echoed across the hot sand. A machine gun opened fire from somewhere below them. Tully saw the shooter duck but get bolder when he realized that the shots were not coming anywhere close to his position.

"Gotcha." Tully smiled as the shooter once again centered his attention on the house below. Ducking low he continued to crawl until he was directly behind the sniper. The rest of his journey would have to be directly toward the sniper.

Luckily for Tully the German seemed totally focused on the house below; he didn't once turn to look behind him. As Tully crept closer he spotted a motorcycle parked at the base of the hill where the sniper had taken up his position. There was no sidecar and it was covered in dust. It was sitting in a depression and hidden under camouflage netting. Feeling more certain that the shooter was alone, he searched the surrounding desert. As far as he could tell no one else had heard the shots yet. There was no sign of anyone else as far as he could see. Waiting for the sniper to settle for another shot Tully gathered his knees under him for a quick run.

When the German began to position himself for another shot Tully took advantage of his preoccupation to get to his feet. Running as hard as he could he held his Thompson ready as he approached the shooter. If the shooter heard him he wouldn't have much time to get the weapon in position to defend himself.

The sniper fired again and Tully heard the faint echo of another cry even as he squeezed the trigger of the Thompson. He yelled wildly, both in frustration and as an attempt to distract the sniper. Tully hoped the distraction would give him time to stop the other man from turning the rifle his way.

The sniper twisted around when Tully opened fire. He saw the American soldier running toward him with the lightweight machine gun spitting lead. Given time to aim his rifle he knew he could easily end the approaching threat; he was confident in his own abilities, but he underestimated the American. It was just his bad luck that he wasn't given the time to correct his aim. Even as he twisted the screaming American adjusted his aim and the bullets hit him in the chest, stealing his breath away. Dimly, somewhere in the back of his mind, he realized that he was dying. He tried to deny it, to shake his head no, but his body no longer responded to his commands. He stared blindly at the American soldier as he drew his last breath.

Tully was standing over the sniper's body when Troy and Moffitt arrived in the jeep. Moffitt slid to a stop while Troy leaped from behind the 50.

"Are you all right Tully?"

"Yeah Sarge, he never even got off a shot in my direction."

Troy nodded wordlessly and let his body relax.

"Are you okay Sarge?" Tully took a step toward Troy as his mind registered the blood on the sergeant's sleeve.

Troy looked down at his arm. "A lucky shot." The sergeant answered. "The bullet ricocheted. It went clear through."

"You'd better let Doc take a look at it, it's still bleeding." Tully replied.

"In a little bit Tully, we have to get back to Hitch."

"Where is he?" Tully asked as he realized that the other driver wasn't with them. "Is he okay?"

"He says it's not bad but we couldn't reach him to check." Troy replied as he jumped into the rear of the jeep. "Grab that rifle and get in." He indicated the passenger seat.

Tully picked up the sniper's rifle and the extra ammunition that was stacked near his gun rest. With one last look at the dead German he ran for the jeep.


	4. Chapter 4

**The Wishing Well **

By: AliasCWN

Chapter 4

Hitch was tying a strip of cloth around his leg when they returned. His face reflected his relief when he saw all three of them safe. "Did you get him Tully? He didn't get away did he?"

Tully removed the matchstick from his mouth and nodded. "I got him."

Hitch sighed. "Good. He was getting way too close." Besides the wound in his leg the blond had several bloody cuts on his arms.

"Let me look at that leg Hitch." Moffitt offered.

"It's not bad Doc." The blond answered. "Maybe we should get away from here first. All of that shooting may have attracted unwanted attention."

"It won't take long." Moffitt replied. "We can see if anyone approaches. We'll stay near the jeeps this time."

"We didn't see that guy until it was too late Doc."

"He'd been sitting up there for at least a couple of days." Tully drawled. "His motorcycle was covered in dust under the netting and he had a camp set up. They staked out that well."

"Then why did he wait so long to shoot?"

Tully shrugged. "I guess he was waiting for the best opportunity. Maybe he thought we'd get careless and all stand out in the open. When he thought that we were getting ready to leave he took the shot he could get."

"Lucky me." Hitch snorted. "If that bucket hadn't fallen into the well I'd probably be dead." Hitch saw the surprised looks the others gave him and realized that they hadn't seen what happened. "I was reaching for the bucket and I bumped it with my hand. It fell back into the well and I made a grab for it. The bullet just missed my head as I lunged to the side. Maybe it's a good thing I dropped that coin in the well."

"You did what?" Troy asked.

"I dropped a coin in the well and made a wish that we would all make it back to the base safely." Hitch answered with a sheepish grin.

"He says the well reminds him of a wishing well back home." Tully explained.

"Oh." Was all Troy said.

Moffitt took Hitch by the arm and helped him to the jeep. "Let's not push your luck. Let me take a look at that leg before we leave. We don't want you losing any more blood and we don't want it to get infected."

"Okay Doc, but I sure hope we don't get any company before we're ready to leave."

"I'll take a jeep up to the top of the hill." Tully offered. "I can see pretty far from up there." Tully waited for Troy to agree. When he got the okay he turned toward his jeep. "Oh, and Doc…"

"Yes Tully?"

"You'd better look at Sarge's arm too."

"He will Mother." Troy replied with a grin.

Tully nodded at the others and gunned his engine. He parked the jeep just below the crest of the hill and got out. While keeping an eye on the surrounding desert he searched the sniper's camp. He salvaged everything they could use, including more ammo for the rifle. He rolled the body in a tarp and dragged it to a deep depression. Using the shovel from the jeep he buried the sniper and marked the grave with a helmet and the motorcycle. He hung the sniper's dog tags on the handlebars of the bike.

A whistle drew his attention back to the house. When he looked down Troy waved for him to return.

"Time to go home." Troy grinned when Tully stopped the jeep next to the wall.

Tully nodded and looked at Troy and Hitch. "Which one of you is going to drive?"

"I am." Hitch answered. "Sarge has a bad arm."

"And you have a bad leg."

"I don't drive with my leg."

Tully threw Hitch a surprised look.

"Well, not completely with my leg." Hitch mumbled. "I use my arms too."

"And Sarge uses his legs to shoot." Tully pointed out.

"But I can drive one handed." Troy interrupted. "I'm driving."

Hitch opened his mouth to argue but thought better of it. Shifting his weight from his injured leg he nodded. "Okay Sarge, you can drive."

Troy smiled triumphantly and slid behind the wheel. He waited for Hitch to get settled in the passenger seat. "Hang on, next stop, the base." He gunned the engine and sent a prayer skyward for another disaster averted.


End file.
